Swedish citizen goes on trial on charges of collecting information for Russia

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The trial has opened in Stockholm of a Russia-born Swedish citizen charged with collecting information for the Russian military intelligence service GRU for almost a decade. Sergey Skvortsov is accused of “gross illegal intelligence activities against Sweden and against a foreign power,” according to prosecutor Henrik Olin. He identified the foreign power as the United States. The 60-year-old Skvortsov appeared Monday before the Stockholm District Court. Skvortsov was arrested in November together with his wife in a predawn operation in Nacka, outside Stockholm. She was later released without charge. Skvortsov denies any wrongdoing. It is the second trial in recent years of people accused of spying on Sweden for Russia.